PHOENIX - Former Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley sold his stuff before he left Minnesota last summer, but he apparently still brought some of his baggage with him when he moved to Phoenix by signing a three-year, $18 million free-agent contract with the Suns.
Beasley entered Tuesday's game against the Timberwolves down the Suns' bench beside former Wolves teammate Wes Johnson because of the same issues that caused his former team not to re-sign the 2008 draft's No. 2 overall pick: too many defensive lapses and a short attention span.
He is in danger of losing his rotation spot in new coach Lindsey Hunter's lineup now that the Suns have acquired small forward Marcus Morris from Houston. Beasley received a smattering of boos when he entered Tuesday's game late in the first quarter.
"Baby steps," Beasley said about trying to establish his NBA career with his third team in five NBA seasons. "I feel like it's kind of a start-over for me, try to build up to what I believe in my heart I can do. It's going to be baby steps. I still got a lot of learning to do."
Beasley sold some of his belongings last summer in an estate sale at the Orono home he rented during his two seasons in Minnesota. It made news nationally for its eclectic mix of items, ranging from giant glass grapes to a floral headboard to bunny-shaped salt-and-pepper shakers.
"A lot of that stuff wasn't mine, like purses and earrings and stuff," he said, referring to a company he hired for the sale that brought other items into the house. "That kind of messed up my street cred. I'm a gangster on the street. I had some stuff that wouldn't fit into my house here, so we just sold it. A lot of the furniture was mine. The dresses and purses? Not mine."
Two for the road Brandon Roy and Kevin Love are on this three-game trip that started Tuesday in Phoenix and ends Saturday in Portland, Love's hometown and the city Roy called home for his first five NBA seasons.
Wolves coach Rick Adelman reiterated before Tuesday's game that Roy isn't close to playing and he said he doesn't know if he'll ever play again. It's unlikely Roy will be in uniform for his long-awaited return to the Rose Garden and there's a chance he won't be in the arena at all.
That decision has yet to be made.
Have whistle, will travel The Suns overhauled their entire coaching staff when Hunter replaced Alvin Gentry last month. One of the assistants who left was Elston Turner, Adelman's top assistant when both coached in Houston.
Adelman was asked before Tuesday's game if he's interested in bringing back Turner to a staff that now includes Terry Porter, T.R. Dunn, Jack Sikma and Bill Bayno. "I've only talked to Elston about his situation in general and just talked to him to lend him my support, but we haven't discussed that at all," Adelman said.
Favor for a friend Forward Derrick Williams took teammates Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Greg Stiemsma from Phoenix on Monday night to his new shoe and apparel store in Tucson to meet and greet fans.
"Around the block," Williams said of the turnout.
Sounds like Williams told a small fib to get his teammates to the town where he played his college ball for two seasons. "Our one-hour trip became like an hour and 45 minutes," Stiemsma said.
